, June 10 (Reuters) – Two former senior
Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp executives were sentenced
on Friday to several years in prison for their roles in a
nearly $3 billion fraud that took down the big lender and a
major bank.

The fraud ran more than seven years until August 2009 when
TBW collapsed after the the U.S. housing market imploded,
taking Colonial BancGroup Inc’s (CBCDQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Colonial Bank with
it and putting hundreds of people at the firm out of work.

Alexandria, Virginia (Reuters) – Two former senior Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp executives were sentenced on Friday to several years in prison for their roles in a multi-billion dollar fraud that took down the big lender.

The fraud ran more than seven years until August 2009 when TBW collapsed after the U.S. housing market imploded, taking Colonial BancGroup Inc’s Colonial Bank with it and putting hundreds of people at the firm out of work.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former National Security Agency official accused of mishandling classified data and obstructing a probe into leaks of sensitive information agreed on Thursday to plead guilty to a significantly lesser charge.

Thomas Drake was scheduled to go on trial next week on 10 felony counts, including mishandling classified information by taking it home, impeding a probe into leaks from the NSA and making false statements as investigators sought the culprit.

WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) – Former U.S. Democratic
presidential hopeful John Edwards was indicted on Friday for
using illegal campaign contributions to cover up an
extramarital affair, a fall from grace for a man who was once
expected to go far in American politics.

Edwards, 57, was charged with six counts of conspiracy,
illegal campaign contributions and making false statements,
according to the federal indictment.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Even if U.S. investigators find out who hacked into Google’s (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) email system, the chances of prosecuting them appeared highly unlikely, especially if they are in China.

Google has said the attack came from within China, but that will be difficult for prosecutors to prove. Beijing has denied any connection to the hack and hackers could have made it look like they were operating from China while actually basing elsewhere.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Even if U.S. investigators find out who hacked into Google’s email system, the chances of prosecuting them appeared highly unlikely, especially if they are in China.

Google has said the attack came from within China, but that will be difficult for prosecutors to prove. Beijing has denied any connection to the hack and hackers could have made it look like they were operating from China while actually basing elsewhere.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two Iraqi men were arrested and charged in Kentucky with trying to help al Qaeda militants in their home country and one of the suspects was also charged for attacks on U.S. troops there, the Justice Department said on Tuesday.

Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, was accused of taking part in roadside bomb attacks on U.S. troops between 2003 and 2006, linked in one such instance by fingerprints obtained by U.S. forces from a device that did not detonate.

Sometimes government officials draw fire for potentially overstepping their authority — but Attorney General Eric Holder will probably get some praise for ordering the writers of the critically-acclaimed television series HBO “The Wire” to come up with more episodes or a movie.

The gritty fictional series, which ran five seasons on HBO, showed the raw side of Baltimore as it endured hundreds of murders annually and a rampant drug scene. The show focused on the cash-strapped city police trying to root out crime as well as the drug dealers fighting for turf, using children to run their corners and the related effects on the city.

What’s a president to do when Congress passes a bill just hours before key anti-terrorism surveillance measures are about to expire and he’s 4,000 miles away? Auto-pen of course.

For the uninitiated, lawmakers and yes, even the president of the United States, have a machine that has a real pen which goes over a copy of the person’s actual signature. It is typically used for signing proforma letters or souvenir pictures to send constituents or fans.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former Nasdaq executive, Donald Johnson, pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of securities fraud for insider trading to reap more than $640,000 over three years, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Johnson, 56, worked as a director and then managing director of Nasdaq’s market intelligence desk before retiring in October 2009, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

About Jeremy

"Legal correspondent. Previously has covered the White House, U.S. political campaigns, Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, and the U.S. economy. Launched and directed the "Tales from the Trail: 2008" Reuters campaign blog, the predecessor to Reuters' "Front Row Washington" blog."